Chapter 1…

Chapter 1: To the Underground City

A warm ray of sunlight slipped through the narrow iron bars of the cell window. I had been dozing against the wall, but the sunlight stabbed at my eyes and forced me out of my brief sleep.

Seeing the sky outside tinted orange, it looked like night would soon fall.

“Dr. Ober.”

At that moment, the small boy in front of me tightly grabbed the hem of my clothes. Even though he wore worn-out, tattered clothes, his cuteness had not faded at all.

Though his hair was greasy and messy, his platinum-blonde strands had not lost their beautiful luster. His bright, sparkling eyes were a clear, refreshing turquoise green.

‘Dr. Ober.’

That was my name. Astrid Ober. It had already been a week since I ended up in this damned body, but no matter how many times I heard it, I still couldn’t get used to it.

“Why, Rodent?”

I asked the boy gently.

Rodent. Who names a child “Rodent”? That was too cruel. I had heard it was a name given by someone to a child wandering the streets like a sewer rat.

And that absurdly named boy in front of me was none other than the male protagonist of the novel I was now inside—“Liberator of the Underground City.”

“…No.”

Rodent muttered hesitantly, as if struggling to speak, then closed his mouth tightly.

I closed my eyes again. The sight in front of me was too unsettling to keep my eyes open.

The place where Rodent and I were locked up together was the infamous prison of the Regnumia Empire. A cramped cell where neither a small boy nor a petite adult woman could even fully stretch out.

When I closed my eyes, my memories from my previous life came rushing in like a tide.

“Patient, patient! Can you hear me?”

“This is a trauma arrest patient. 27-year-old female, blood pressure keeps dropping.”

“Do you know where you are, patient?”

“Doctor, it’s V-fib!”

That was my last memory. Being hit by a truck on my way to work and being rushed to the hospital. It felt like the final scene of a medical drama I had loved since school.

Even after watching countless medical dramas for 15 years, I never thought such a moment would come for me. And that I would… die.

V-fib, ventricular fibrillation. And probably “expire.” I don’t remember it, but the doctor must have pronounced my death solemnly. My 27 short years ended like that.

And when I opened my eyes again, I was in this damn prison. I was imprisoned as Astrid while retaining her memories. Though her memories were faint, like fog had settled over them.

Astrid Ober was known as the “Angel of Aub Street.” In a way, she was like Mother Teresa from my original world.

‘An angel…’

Even hearing it made my hands and feet curl up like squid roasted over a fire. Whether I liked the title or not, that was what I was now.

Astrid Ober was twenty-seven, the same age as me. But the twenty-seven of this world and the twenty-seven of my world were completely different.

In this world, women became adults at eighteen and were basically sold off into marriages chosen by their families.

If you passed twenty, people already pointed at you as an old maid. In such a society, a twenty-seven-year-old woman who never married and lived alone…

‘And she even took in poor street children and treated them… she really is a saint.’

Yes. The ten-year-old boy in front of me, Rodent, was one of the children Astrid had saved. No—he was the last child she had saved. Because she ended up imprisoned here with him.

“…Rodent, what is it?”

I had barely started to reflect when I couldn’t focus anymore. Rodent looked extremely anxious and restless.

“Dr. Ober…”

Tears welled up in Rodent’s mint-colored eyes. It was heartbreaking to see tears in a child’s eyes… but also unbearably cute.

I used to be into medical dramas, but I did watch other genres too. Among them, “Liberator of the Underground City” was one I had rewatched many times.

And now—the ten-year-old version of my favorite character was right in front of me! Crying while looking up at me! But Astrid, the Angel of Aub Street, must not have such disgraceful thoughts.

Ahem. I cleared my throat and asked gently.

“Why are you crying, Rodent? Are you hurt?”

At my concerned question, Rodent shook his head. Then he grabbed my sleeve tightly. Ugh… so… cute…

“Doctor, the guards said… that you will be executed by hanging tomorrow… Is that true?”

At his words, I was momentarily speechless. Those guards told a ten-year-old child something like that? Unforgivable.

Of course, what they said wasn’t wrong. Tomorrow morning, as soon as the sun rose, I was scheduled to be taken to the execution ground and hanged.

The charge: “unauthorized medical practice.”

The Regnumia Empire did not allow women to practice professional occupations. Astrid had inherited her father’s clinic, but she was never granted a medical license.

Practicing medicine under those conditions was the reason I was imprisoned now. Well, that was just the excuse—the real reason was probably that they disliked Astrid, the so-called angel who helped the oppressed.

But according to the original story I had read countless times, I was not supposed to die.

Because someone would come to save me tonight.

“Don’t worry, Rodent. That won’t happen. It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”

I hugged the restless Rodent tightly to calm him down. His shoulders trembled, and I could feel his tears soaking my clothes.

For a ten-year-old child who had been taken in and cared for by Astrid, the news of her death tomorrow must have been devastating. I really should kill those damn guards for telling him this…

‘Hah. Well, they’ll all be dead in a few hours anyway.’

Because the “Liberators” would soon storm this place.

The current emperor of Regnumia, Solter III, was a tyrant beyond measure.

Laughter had disappeared from the streets, and the imperial army was feared by all. If you offended them, you would either lose your life or be exiled beyond the monster-filled outer walls.

In such a situation, it was only natural that people began to rise against the empire.

The “Liberators” were a rebel force formed by such people. A very, extremely, enormously large organization.

According to the original story, today the Liberators would kill all the guards in this prison and rescue Astrid and Rodent.

I glared at the guard outside the iron bars, anticipating the coming satisfaction. The guard flinched, as if thinking, “What kind of crazy woman is this?”

While comforting Rodent, night gradually fell outside the window. There was not much time left until the Liberators arrived.

I even made a cutting gesture across my neck toward the guard still staring at me suspiciously.

You’re all finished. Got it?

But even so, I didn’t feel entirely at ease.

Even if I could avoid execution, Astrid’s future was far from peaceful.

The reason the Liberators were going so far as to attack the prison to rescue Astrid was to save their dying leader.

The King of the Underground City, Jin. He was the patient I would have to treat.

Thinking of Jin made me sigh.

Astrid, an unlicensed doctor, had only treated street children by feeding them well and keeping them clean.

And what about me? In my original world, I was just an ordinary office worker—a low-level employee in a confectionery company’s product development team.

And now that ordinary nobody was supposed to become the chief physician of a rebel leader?

According to the original story, Jin would die three months from today. After his death, the Liberators would scatter, and Astrid would also be killed. Yes—my fate would end in three months.

‘…To survive, I must not go down to the Liberators’ underground city.’

That was the conclusion I had reached during the week since I woke up in this story.

I had already experienced hell once and died. I could not go through that again.

Just then, noise erupted outside the prison.

‘They’re here—the Liberators.’

I grabbed Rodent’s hand tightly as he trembled at the sound of gunfire and screams.

“Hold them back! It’s the Liberators!”

The guards shouted. But it was useless. You’re all going to die anyway.

And soon, a man with gray hair appeared in front of the prison gate.

“Astrid Ober?”

He asked in a deep, trustworthy voice. His eyes, looking down at me, were like those of a lion. Exactly as described in the novel.

Pale gray long hair, pale sky-blue eyes, strong facial features—a handsome man.

“…Let me ask again. Are you Dr. Ober?”

He asked again impatiently when I did not answer, as I scanned him up and down.

“Are you in a hurry?”

I knew who he was, of course, but I asked anyway.

This man was Rishar, the second-in-command of the Liberators. Jin’s loyal right hand and closest friend.

“There’s no time to explain. Please come out.”

Rishar took out a bundle of keys and began searching for the correct one. At that moment, a guard’s shout came from afar.

“Over here! The Gray Lion is here!”

The Gray Lion was Rishar’s nickname. Come to think of it, the man in front of me was one of the most wanted criminals in the empire.

“Please wait a moment.”

Rishar said in a low voice. Then he raised his revolver and began shooting at the rushing guards. One shot, one down.

As expected of the “sharpshooter” described in the original work—he was incredible.

Firearms in this era were primitive, mostly low-quality flintlocks. But that revolver was specially developed by a Liberator engineer.

Soon, the swarming guards collapsed like ants. Rishar hurried. They had to escape before imperial reinforcements arrived.

“Please come out, Dr. Ober.”

Rishar opened the cell door.

Finally, I could escape this tiny, suffocating prison. I stepped outside with relief.

We ran and soon arrived in a quiet back alley. It was so silent that it seemed no one was chasing us.

“Sir, are you the ‘Gray Lion’?”

Rodent asked Rishar with sparkling eyes. Rishar looked at him, then politely greeted both of us.

“Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Rishar.”

At that, Rodent let out a “wow.”

“Can I become a Liberator too?”

Rodent’s eyes sparkled again. Rishar’s stern face softened slightly into a faint smile.

“Of course. Come with us.”

The Liberators took in all homeless street children. It seemed Rodent would also naturally join them as in the original story.

“I’m late in saying this, Dr. Ober. We need your help. You are our only hope. Please come with us.”

Rishar said seriously.

“Just like that, on first meeting, saying I’m your only hope… how is a woman supposed to handle that without her heart racing?”

“I’ve heard the rumors, but I am… not a skilled doctor. I don’t even have a license. I cannot go with you.”

The rumor that Jin, the “King of the Underground City,” was dying had spread across the empire.

In the original story, Astrid would go anywhere for a patient in need—even into hell itself.

But I was not her. I wanted to live.

Jin’s death was unfortunate, but what could I even do? If I went to the underground city with them, my life would end in three months.

At my refusal, Rishar looked startled.

He hadn’t expected the “Angel of Aub Street” to refuse.

“…I did not expect Dr. Ober to refuse.”

Rishar said.

Don’t tell me he’s going to say something like “refusal is not an option.” Please, tall and serious guy, let me go.

Rishar sighed as if reluctant, then spoke.

“…Excuse me, Dr. Ober.”

He spoke very politely. What exactly is he excusing himself for?

I looked at him suspiciously.

And then—

click.

Rishar cocked his revolver and pointed it at my head.

“One more time. Dr. Ober, will you come with us?”